I cannot find an answer to this in the Archives and would like opinions from other Whippet Owners.

Do the majority of you keep your whippets on heartworm preventative year round or do you stop once a frost has occurred? My vet says it is up to me. I hate medications but the heartworm medication that Manni is on, Iverhart Max, protects against all kinds of worms also the year round and wonder if this is ok for him to take twelve months. He is going to be 2 years old next month and is a healthy happy dog. I gave him his last pill in November, and my vet recommends that he start again in April so he had to have a blood test yesterday to make sure he is negative for heartworm before starting the medication up again. The cost is exactly the same, keeping him on the medication year round vs stopping, getting the blood test and starting up again. I just would like to know how people feel about year-round medication vs giving him a break. Thank you for your thoughts and opinions.

Down in Florida we keep the dogs on heartworm medication year round. I use IVOMEC Cattle Solution 10 %. It is very inexpensive and it does help control some worms but not all. You might want to check into it.

I have NEVER in the probably 20 years of using the Ivomec had a problem with it what so ever. I keep my pregnant bitches on it also. I understand this is used in Africa on humans to help control types of worms that are common over there also.

It depends on where you live. When I lived in Northern VA I would stop HW meds after we had about a month of solid cold temps and start up again in the Spring. Now that I'm in FL I go year round, even with the somewhat cold winter we had. It only takes 1-2 warm days to see mosquitoes here.

Be careful with ivermectin if you have Collies in the house, though. Dixie is ivermectin sensitive (mdR1 mutant/normal) and could die if ingested. I haven't tested Faith but I won't take the risk either way.

No ivermectin (or immodium for that matter) is ever allowed in my house. If Dakota and Spencer are on ivermectin (they haven't been thus far but cost wise, I think I need to put them on it) they will get it at the vets or not at all. I take them up for a weigh in monthly anyway.

So we're completely sure that Whippets are NOT ivermectin sensitive, right? LOL, just kidding, I know they are not. However, coming from a person with Collies you can never be too sure.

I'm in northern MN and I give heartworm from April through November. Just getting the last two in on Friday for their tests. My vet feels they don't need it and it never hurts to cut a chemical when you can, even if it's only for a few months of the year.

If you live in an area where you get "real" winter*, like we usually do, you can take a break during the winter.

Paula

* Okay, we didn't have "real" winter this year. Lake Superior never froze more than a few hundred feet from shore. On our coldest days, the temp was never below zero during the day (we can hit 20 below at noon when we get real arctic blasts - Thanks for the winter off, Canada), we've been in the mid-40s and acutally hit 60 this month and outside of 2 storms that each dumped about 2 feet of snow we've had precious little snow. Yes, we do feel for you easterners, but it was about time for you to take your turn at winter and we thank you for it.

I give Sugarbooger INTERCEPTOR (milbemycin oxime) tabs once a month. I think I will be doing this year round here in Louisiana - I see mosquitos all the time (well, not all the time, but occasionally I will see one here and there).

Does that sound like a good pill to those of you edumacated on heartworm preventatives?

North Carolina resident, monthly, year round Interceptor. Rarely is cold enough for a long enough period of time to risk skipping winter months. I use Frontline spray for fleas and spread out dosing to 6 weeks apart in the 3 winter mos. March 1st they are back on monthly treatments.